That seems to support my earlier assertion that live beers need to be layed up in the frig for awhile to cement the yeast pack at the bottom. I don't know if 6 mos is necessary, but I always had good results after 2 weeks with my homebrews.
And the keg from hell, the one that would not die, that Lindemanns is finally dust. I replaced it Saturday with a beautiful, intriguing pale ale from my local brewpub. Absolutely sensational stuff. So full of yeasty esters, huge hop nose (Fuggles?), mildly bitter, quaffable but not cloying. The brewer should be proud of this one.
It will probably be gone well before you visit, Tom, but maybe the next batch will be similarly good.

i just found this out last night, so i was excited to tell someone. nedless to say, my wife was less than excited about it.

we were hangin at the lake last night, and one of my buddies asked if i had seen the "beer store" around the corner from my house.. it came as a surprise to me, cause i like to think i am on the cusp of beer stylings and lifestyles, here in the mecca of west texas..

apparently, this new store just opened last week, and they havent even been advertising yet. my buddy said they have a HUGE assortment of foreign, and micro brew beers that arent avail anywhere else in town. plus, he said you can mix-and-match 6 packs of any kind of beer for $7.99. i figure thats only $1.33 a bottle, so thats not bad prices at all. he said the regular 6 packs run about $5.99-$6.99.

i am gonna swing by there after work today, and see what they have avail. hopefully, they might have some of the beers that have been mentioned on here, that i have never had the opportunity to get before. think i will start with a mix-and-match, and see if i get some good ones. i will let you know how it goes..

OK- got my mix-and-match six pack last night. went and shared them with a friend, and we both had similar findings on what we did or didnt like. quick review included for each..

Carlsberg Elephant- 7.2% alcohol.. sweet malt liquor, with pronounced skunky smell.. seemed a definite Heineken knock-off to me. poured with nearly no head, and was a light gold color. not impressive at all. barely average, even if you were real thirsty..4 out of 10.

Full Sail Pale Ale- 5.4% alcohol. pleasant sweet smell, but not fruity. pours a clear amber, with light head and low carbonation. easy hoppy taste, with slight bitterness. classic 'pale ale' dryness at the end, but not to overbearing. good, but not spectacular. will drink again. 6 out of 10.

Spaten Optimator- 7.2% alcohol. poured a dark brown, almost purple in the light, with hardly any head at all. TONS or aroma, and loads of flavors. caramel, nuts, raisin.. they are all there, blended very well. powerful flavors, but well done with sweet finish. 2nd best of the night, 7 out of 10. give this one a shot!

Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat- 5.2% alcohol. dark golden color with good carbonation. sweet aroma, like cough syrup. hints of amaretto, and light hops. but its all overpowered by the cherry flavor. WAY to sweet in my opinion, almost seemed like a beer flavored wine. and everytime i would bring it to my mouth, i got the sense i was drinking a DR Pepper. not my cup of tea, but worth a shot if you happen to like fruit based beers.. i dont.. 4.5 out of 10.

and best of the night..
New Belgium Trippel made in ft collins, co.- 7.8% alcohol. awesome color, almost a neon orange or copper in the light. sweet fruit aroma of banana and grapes. the strength of this beer is VERY evident. complex flavors of cloves and pepper. spicy hops mix well with subtle sweetness. complex but balanced. bold but not overbearing. very hearty and tasty throughout. slight smokey finish, a meal in a bottle. best of the night!! 7.5 out of 10!! will get some more this weekend.

great little store, just up the street from my house. only been open a few weeks, but owner said word of mouth is spreading. good selection of beers and wines. nice cigar humidor also. cant wait for my next mix-and-match sixer!!

bigjohn, congrats on the new beer store. I can't disagree with you on any of those, but you may have been a little harsh on your evaluation of the Elephant. It isn't a great beer but it ain't all that bad. I remember downing a sixer of those on the North Shore of Oahu and getting a little shaky. They're best icy cold, of course. Other Danish beers (including Carlsberg) are much better, though.
I'm surprised that the German beer had no head. Could have been your glass. Sometimes if your glass is dirty, oily or soapy it will prevent head retention.
I think you're only supposed to rinse your beer glasses most of the time - not wash them with soap. And don't dry them with a towel. Just shake it dry.

bigjohn, I love your beer reviews. Thank you very much for taking the time to compose such wonderful descriptions.

I'd agree with bigwill on both counts. The Carlsberg you had was CLEARLY not well-handled; it's not supposed to be skunky - that perception is a clear indication that the beer is light struck (been sitting around under flourescents or elsewhere too long). At its best, that is a wonderfully clean and subtle beer.

In addition to bigwill's comments about glassware, is it possible that you were pouring the Optimator too cold?

i agree with both of y'all on the head situation.. as a whole, none of the beers had particularly impressive heads. we were using some mid-size wine glasses, cause we had nothing else. after each tasting, we would just run water in it, swirl it around, dump it out, and pour in the next beer. i do feel that had an affect on the beers not coming to full potential on their heads, but i certainly didnt use that as a large deciding factor for their overall rating.

and if you both say the elephant should be better, i will believe you.. but, upon opening, there was a STRONG skunky smell, and the flavor was mild and somewhat bland. i must have got a bad handled batch, cause i would say it was one of the least favorites of the night. my buddy thought so also.

we let all the beers sit up on the counter for about 20 minutes before we started to open them.. i would say the temps were between 40F-50F. i have started doing this with my chimays and duvels also. flavor opens up once they have been sitting out for a while.. at least i think so..

i will definitely try a different flavor from the New Belgium Co. that trippel was WAY good, i dug it the most! i think they had about 3-4 different kinds from New Belgium, so i have my work cut out for me.

they did have a request list, and the owner said he would make real efforts to try and get the beers that people want to try. i requested for him to get the Rochefort 6,8,or 10. and also some of the beers made by the ommegang brewery in new york. hopefully, he can come thru for me. i am gonna go back thru the 46 some odd pages of this thread, and write down some others that ya'll have mentioned. never hurts to try, right??

i think i will mix-and-match some more this weekend. i will let ya know how those turn out.

i had the pleasure last night of trying ALL of the beers offered by the New Belgium Brewing Co. i did a mix-and-match, and grabbed one of each they had avail. wont go into lots of detail, but across the board, all the beers were of above average quality and taste, and i would drink all of them again.

New Belgium Trippel- as mentioned before.. great!! had to have another.
New Belgium Fat Tire- hearty, like a fat loaf of toasted rye bread. pleasing and delicious.
New Belgium Sunshine Wheat- light, golden, sweet, and fruity. very refreshing and no heavyiness.
New Belgium Blue Paddle Pilsner- very layed flavors. hoppy, much different than the others.
New Belgium 1554 Black Ale- WHOA! stand back on this one fellas. super dark, big head. thick, aggressive, bold. not for the weak, and ends with the standard suprising dryness of an ale. this one is for dinner, NOT a backyard guzzler..
New Belgium Loft- tart and citrusy. light and silky. easy drinker and very refreshing.

i cant say enough about all of these.. this brewery definitely has its stuff together. all of these were great, some just greater than others. i would buy ALL of them again, depending on the situation.

OK, thats all.. i think i will try a sixer of an asian mix next time.. they have many to choose from.